Is this hike trail head open or is there a gate closed and it will be further than the 5 mile round trip? If longer than about how long we have to drive 1.5 hours so need to know if we have enough daylight.

It is open. There is a gate but its usually open. It take about 30 mins down the path and you will see where people are going.up the trailhead. Its about 5 to 6 miles there and back. Well worth it tho

They close the road do to weather, so you can't drive all the way to the trailhead. I'd say it takes close to five hours round trip if the road is closed. If you don't want to be in a rush, and don't want to use head lamps, I would wait until they open the road back up. The hike takes about an hour each way in good weather, from the trailhead.